Princess Sylmar Pulls Upset At Kentucky Oaks
Three-year-old fillies enter the starting gate at Oaks 2013
The Kentucky Oaks doesn’t get as much hype as the Kentucky Derby but is still a thrilling experience, as the speed of some of the premier horses in the world is measured. Held the day before Derby, hundreds of thousands of people dressed in blushing pink hats, dresses and shirts flood Churchill Downs for “Lilles for the Fillies.” Three-year-old fillies and their jockeys race 1+1⁄8 miles in hopes of galloping away with a $600,000 purse and a large garland of lilies. This year, Oaks goers raised mint juleps and the signature Grey Goose Oaks Lily to cheer on Princess of Sylmar as she tore through the finish. A long shot in the field at 38-1, this horse surprised several. But it goes to show why these races command attention- you never know who surge at the final turn. In this case it was royalty.
Ready for the 139th year of Oaks inside Churchill Downs.
